by Samuel Medenilla
Russia remains a closed market for Filipino household service workers (HSW), the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) declared.
“There is no visa-category in Russia for household service workers,” POEA said in its Advisory 17, series of 2017.
The overseas employment agency issued the warning following reports of a growing number of Filipino HSWs who are being illegally recruited to work in Russia.
Citing a report from the Philippine Embassy in Athens, Greece, POEA said many Filipino HSWs in Greece, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Middle East have already become victims of the scam.
“There has been increasing cases of illegal recruitment of Filipinos already overseas for deployment to Russia…household workers are often charged huge fees by illegal recruiters,” POEA warned.
Without a valid work visa, Filipinos HSWs are deployed to Russia using tourist and commercial visas. This practice is illegal under Russian laws and could lead to thearrest of Filipinos HSWs once they set foot on Russia.
“Improperly documented workers are subject to detention, fines and deportation,” POEA said.
The agency advised Filipinos HSWs overseas not to accept such job offers to avoid sanctions from the Russian government.
There are about 4,000 OFWs working in the construction and hotel industry in Russia.
